Validate Shipping Address

Overview

This article explains shipping address validation in Shipbridge. Check out this video tutorial on address validation!

Validating addresses can reduce delivery complications by helping ensure the accuracy of the shipping address and suggesting changes. It can also help you estimate the final shipping cost by determining if the address type is commercial or residential.

There are two types of suggested changes:

• Major changes
• Minor changes

An example of a major change would be correcting a misspelled address. Minor changes might be adding a +4 number to a zipcode or adding abbreviations, like DR for Drive or LN for Lane, to the main street name. By default, when the address is validated, it will include minor changes as well. However, you can set minor changes to change automatically without requiring you to manually accept the suggested change.

Validate Addresses in Shipbridge

Configure your API credentials under the Rates tab in Shipbridge: 

1. Go to Menu > Options > Rates tab. For the purpose of validating addresses, you only need to enter one set of carrier credentials; for example, UPS. Shipbridge will request the address validation through the API you enter on this page even if the carrier you are using is not configured. (For calculating rates, you must enter API credentials for all carriers you ship with).
2. The dot indicator shows the address’s status: 
   1. The yellow dot indicates addresses that are not yet verified.
   2. The red dot indicates addresses that the system is not able to validate.
   3. The green dot indicates addresses that are successfully validated.
      Note: In order to see the indicator please be sure it is enabled by going to Menu> Customize Interface> Unshipped Tab. Look for AV Flag in the list and enable it.
3. Select an order. 
4. Right-click and select Validate Address from the context menu, or press the Validate Address button in the address console at the bottom left.
5. Shipbridge will return a suggested address for addresses that do not match the US Postal Service’s database. 
6. If you accept it, the address updates and the dot indicator will turn green. 
7. After address validation, the system will indicate the address type by the word Commercial or Residential in the address type column and by an icon in the address console. The address type affects the rate calculator. If the address type is residential, the rate calculator will return higher rates for carriers that charge a higher rate for residential deliveries.
8. To validate multiple order addresses in bulk, select the orders and click Validate Selected Orders from the Menu.  When using this option, a window will pop up at the first problematic address. You have the option of using the suggestion, skipping the order, or clicking on the + sign and selecting to automatically accept all suggestions or to reject them. There also is an option on the Menu to Validate Selected Orders (without suggestions).

Configure Shipbridge Settings for Address Validation

To configure Shipbridge settings for address validation:

1. Go to Menu > Options > Shipping tab. 
2. Validate all addresses in Shipbridge before shipping – When selected, all addresses will be validated in ShipBridge before shipping. 
3. Validate address without suggestions – When selected,  minor changes will be set to change automatically without requiring you to manually accept the suggested change.
4. Silently validate standard changes without suggestions – This will enable the system to make minor changes automatically, like adding a +4 number to the zip code and abbreviations to the street address, without requiring you to accept the suggested change. 
5. Shipbridge can be set to disallow changes to a street address or a zip code. These settings can be enabled by your Shipbridge Administrator or by Sellercloud Support. When you enable these settings, the address and zip code fields will be grayed out in the address console. 

Validate Addresses in Sellercloud

1. Configure API credentials. In Sellercloud, navigate to Settings > Companies > Manage Companies > Select a company > Toolbox > Shipping API. Enter your API credentials. If you have already configured it in Shipbridge, you can export them to Sellercloud with the Export to CWA button.
2. Select the carrier through which you will be validating addresses – UPS or FedEx. Endicia ELS does not provide address validation.
3. In Sellercloud > Settings > Client settings > select Verify Shipping address of Orders.
4. Open an order. On the status bar, you can see if the address has been verified or not.
5. Open the action menu and click Verify Shipping Address.
   1. If you are creating a new order, you can enter the address and click the Verify Address icon to open the validation window.
6. On the following page, there are three address columns. The first one is the original address that the customer submitted. The second is a suggested address whenever there is one available. The third column is the final address. To use the suggested address, click the Accept button. This will update the address on the order and change its status to Verified.
7. To verify multiple orders in bulk, select the orders from the Manage Orders page and click Verify Shipping Address from the Action Menu.
8. The validation process is the same as with a single order, but you can navigate from order to order using the navigation links.
9. In Shipbridge, the setting Menu > Option > Shipping > Consider Address Classification from CWA can be enabled to pull this classification into Shipbridge.